I've been giving this some thought for a while, and so perhaps it is time to start putting it down as a series of blog entries. When you read through the Bible, one thing that you find regarding God and His presence on earth is the place where God has interaction with His people. We especially find this in the Old Testament, leading up to and through the time of Jesus, but it's also something that carries on even after the ascension of Jesus.
What I'm talking about here is the place of God's presence. At the time when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness, that place was the tabernacle, a tent where God came and lived among the people. It was at the entrance to that tent where Moses would meet God and then deliver the words of God to the people.
For quite some time after the event of the Exodus, that was God's place of His presence. When the tabernacle wasn't present, the ark of the covenant itself carried that place of God's presence. During the period known as the judges, the ark carried that place of presence. It travelled with God's people, which meant that God Himself travelled with His people.
It was King David, the second king of Israel, who had the thought of creating a permanent place for God's presence, in the form of a temple. Even though it seems that God prefered to be manuverable among His people, He permitted the building of a temple, which took place under David's son, Solomon. There, God now had a permanent place to meet with His people. There were still restrictions on who could enter that place of presence, and what they could do there, but now, rather than travelling with His people, God's people instead had to come to the place of His presence.
Over the next few blog posts, we will be looking a little bit more at this. We'll look at the strengths and weaknesses of each of these, but more importantly, we will look at what it means for us Christians, in our day and age, and where the place of God's presence is. So join me on this rambling thought of temples and tabernacles, the place of God's presence.
What I'm talking about here is the place of God's presence. At the time when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness, that place was the tabernacle, a tent where God came and lived among the people. It was at the entrance to that tent where Moses would meet God and then deliver the words of God to the people.
For quite some time after the event of the Exodus, that was God's place of His presence. When the tabernacle wasn't present, the ark of the covenant itself carried that place of God's presence. During the period known as the judges, the ark carried that place of presence. It travelled with God's people, which meant that God Himself travelled with His people.
It was King David, the second king of Israel, who had the thought of creating a permanent place for God's presence, in the form of a temple. Even though it seems that God prefered to be manuverable among His people, He permitted the building of a temple, which took place under David's son, Solomon. There, God now had a permanent place to meet with His people. There were still restrictions on who could enter that place of presence, and what they could do there, but now, rather than travelling with His people, God's people instead had to come to the place of His presence.
Over the next few blog posts, we will be looking a little bit more at this. We'll look at the strengths and weaknesses of each of these, but more importantly, we will look at what it means for us Christians, in our day and age, and where the place of God's presence is. So join me on this rambling thought of temples and tabernacles, the place of God's presence.
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